She lifted her axe, enjoyed the widening of the vampire’s eyes and swung?—
“Wait!”
The blade stopped an inch from the man’s neck when she heard Sándor’s yell.
A second later, the wind vampire landed beside her, his own sword bloody. He looked her up and down. “Surati, forgive me.”
She shook her head and pulled the buttons of her shirt wide. She pointed to the arrow that was just peeking out from between her ribs.
“Kali, forgive me.” He looked like he was going to prostrate himself. “Kill him if you want, but he is the last survivor. If you want to question him…”
She shook her head and pointed to the blood at her mouth.
Sándor looked at the arrow again, then at the placement as she tried to speak and words only came out as a rasp.
“You can’t speak. Your lung,” he stammered. “Oleg is going to kill me.”
She shook her head but pointed to the vampire in front of her who was frozen, quite literally, in place.
“Question him?” Sándor asked.
She nodded, then pointed to the house, then the barn.
“The wounded man. I’ve already sent two Hazar to check on him, but I’ll go check on your mother now.” He started away, then turned back. “I cannot leave you injured.”
“San…” She gasped out the last of her air. Then just pointed. Hard.
God, an arrow through the chest hurt like nothing she’d ever felt before.
Two more Hazar landed softly on the snow beside her, immediately drawing their weapons and watching for more attackers. Another landed, pulled back her mask, and bent down to look at Tatyana’s wound. “Surati, it has pierced your lung.”
She nodded silently.
The vampire looked up. “Luckily, you will heal quickly from this.”
Tatyana pointed to the barn, and the woman nodded. “I understand the human is injured. Vanya and Bidi will stabilize him and then fly him into the city so the human surgeons can heal him, unless you would prefer to make him your child in honor of his sacrifice.”
Wow, that was not a question that had even crossed her mind. She needed her voice back, but she also had to keep holding the vampire in the snow.
As if sensing her conundrum, the medic looked up with a nod. “The others can bind your snowman for you and hold him until Sándor can question him. But you will not start healing until we get rid of the arrow and get you some fresh blood.”
Tatyana looked down at the vicious barbed head of the arrow in her midsection, then closed her eyes and nodded.
Immediately, the two Hazar flanking her went to the frozen vampire and took zip ties from their pockets. Tatyana released her amnis, and the ice and snow started falling away.
The medic spoke to her in a curt, businesslike manner that Tatyana appreciated. “It’s going to have to go through the front because there’s no way that thing is going out the way it went in. You understand?”
Tatyana nodded.
The medic stood, and Tatyana heard the arrow snap at her back. Then she walked in front of Tatyana and put one hand on her shoulder.
The Hazar looked her in the eye. “Ready?”
This was going to hurt… like a bitch.
She was suckingdown her third bag of blood in front of the fire half an hour later.
“Remind me not to let you make snowmen with the children,” Sándor said. “Too tempting to cut their heads right off.” He swung his hand out in a chopping motion.
